Case Study: Cheryl Hopkins

Franchisee in Nuneaton; Warwickshire

Franchisee in Nuneaton; Warwickshire

I joined TaxAssist Accountants in July 2009 and opened my shop in February 2010. My initial business plan consisted of me working from a serviced office for approx 2 years prior to moving into the shop front location. I wanted to get a hold of the business from quieter surroundings prior to launching into employing staff and having business walk-ins. All this changed after being in the business for 6 months.

Through my regular contact with the teams at Norwich, I quickly realised that 50% of my potential clients did not even know that I was there, as there was no clear visibility. This made me realise that it was time to start the search for the “right” shop. It didn’t take me long and within a space of 3 months I had moved into one.

Business growth was amazing for the 12 months after the shop launch in February 2010. 50% of my business comes from shop walk-ins and 18% from client referrals. I employ 3 staff members including 1 administrator and 2 assistant accountants.

During the first 18 months I have benefited from the input and support which the Norwich based team have given me. I definitely could not have done this without them. TaxAssist Accountants gave a good base to my business with the comprehensive training package which continued over the first 6 months of the Franchise. Even coming from an accounting background there is so much to learn. Selling and marketing was not anything I had ever had to do before so took me out of my comfort zone, but it is all covered in the initial 6 weeks training and gives you that confidence to go out there and achieve.

I still feel that I learn something new every week and to have the knowledge base and experience from the Support Centre and also the Network as a whole is great. A big benefit of joining TaxAssist Accountants.

Now 5 years into my Franchise I have a stable business with 3 accounting / book-keeping staff members and 1 administrator. Walk-ins still occur daily, mainly self-employed tax return clients. Over time these clients’ businesses grow and with that so does the requirement of our work, therefore the potential of increased fees. Referrals happen more and more as clients are recommending our services to business associates, friends and family.

TaxAssist are a huge resource to keep the client retention as they assist us with technical updates for both us and clients, business partners to whom we can refer clients to and most importantly make the brand known with the growth of the network and Google presence.